Spain has alerted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to a suspected case of human-to-human transmission of the A(H1N1)v swine flu variant in Catalonia, regional health authorities confirmed on Friday.
The infected individual, who has since recovered, displayed no flu-like symptoms. Tests on direct contacts indicated no further transmission, according to the Catalan health department.
Spanish newspaper El Pais reported, citing Catalan health sources, that the patient had no contact with pigs, leading experts to conclude that human-to-human transmission had occurred. This raised concerns about the virus's pandemic potential if it were to recombine with a human flu strain in a simultaneously infected pig.
However, the Catalan health department later assessed the risk to the population as “very low”. In 2023, the Netherlands notified the WHO of a confirmed human infection with swine influenza in an adult with no history of occupational exposure to animals.
The 2009 swine flu pandemic infected millions of people worldwide. It was caused by a virus containing genetic material from viruses circulating in pigs, birds and humans.
